ISLAMABAD: Despite clear directives from the Supreme Court and lower courts, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and Establishment Division (ED) have failed to resolve the seniority issue of the employees serving at their set-ups known as Model Colleges (MC) and Federal Government Schools (FG), Daily Times has learnt. As many as 422 colleges and schools are functioning under the supervision of the FDE, including 20 model colleges, whereas the whole educational set-up of the FDE is being overseen by the Capital Administration and Development (CADD). Thousand of employees are serving there in various cadres. According to the documents available with this scribe, the issue of determining the seniority of FDE employees working in various cadres had been lingering on for the past many years. In 2011, the issue was highlighted in the apex court. As a result, the court issued directives for merging the seniority of all officials working against different posts in the FDE and all educational institutions, including the ministry. The SC further directed the authorities concerned to implement the decision within a period of three months. However, despite passage of more than four years, the authorities concerned could not act upon the directives in letter and spirit. Some officials of the FDE also approached the Federal Several Tribunal (FST) to seek justice in this regard. An admin officer, Muhammad Aslam, with some of his colleagues, filed an appeal with the FST. “The respondents issued the seniority but did not circulate in accordance with law/rule and did not adopt the prescribed procedure in this regard,” Aslam states in the appeal, copy of which was obtained by this correspondent. “The recruitment rules for the post of BPS-1 to BPS-15, including MC setup, have been combined, while the recruitment rules of the remaining post are under process,” it further read. The appeal further stated that gross injustice had been done by the CADD and the ED. According to the plea, the management services wing of the ED was also requested to give considered opinion on the status of FG educational institutions and on the issue of seniority list of ministerial officials working in the FDE and its institutions, whereas practical consequences in this regards are still in limo. Moreover, as per the petition, the CADD also issued a statutory notification in July 2012, which reads, “in exercise of powers conferred by Sub-rule (2) of Rule 3 of the Civil Servants Rules, 1973, the following method, qualifications and other conditions are laid down for appointment to following posts in the FDE”. The quoted rules ensured devolving the seniority of both set-ups. In the petition, the counsel also referred to a similar judgement of the apex court that was filed by 524 officials of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). The said judgement stated that it was the responsibility of the state to ensure social and economic justice. While according to FDE officials, it is sheer injustice with them to deprive them of their fundamental rights protected under the constitution. Syed Nasir Ali Shah and Muhammad Arshad Bahatti, members of the FST, held a hearing in September this year and directed the respondents (CADD, ED, FDE) to implement the court orders within 30 days. Despite repeated efforts, Director General Shahnza Raiz was not available for responding to the queries in this regard.